Cherry cigarette
by DawnAngel14
Summary: A casual visit to the Baratie restaurant turns out to be more than Sakura ever expected; can the charming cook heal the wounds that bleed from this young lady's wounded heart? SanSaku, AU.
1. Chapter I

Hello everyone! I have joined this new lj community I seem to be a bit of a challenge whore and it seems really fun, so I decided to give it a shot. Hope you enjoy!

**Title:** Cherry cigarette

**Author/Artist:** dawnangel14

**Claim:** Sanji x Sakura Haruno

**Theme:** #1 - Eloquent

**Theme Set:** #4 - Romance

**Rating:** PG

**Warnings:** AU and insults, courtesy of our lovely cook.

**Disclaimer:** One Piece belongs to Oda and Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, but I have... a cup of tea?

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><p>"Sakura? Earth to Sakura!"<p>

The young woman looked up and saw her beautiful blonde friend, Ino Yamanaka, staring at her as if she had committed a horrible crime. And to her, she had. She wasn't listening.

"Oh, sorry Ino." the pinkette excused herself. "What were you saying?"

"As I was saying, billboard brow." taunted Ino, mad about her lack of attention. "I won't be coming home tonight for dinner. I'm going out with Sai."

"Oh, I see..." Sakura Haruno stood up from her bed and crossed the room to look for her phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Texting Hinata. She might actually care, Ino-pig!" replied Sakura with an evil smirk.

Yep, she seemed normal again. Because of that, she didn't insult back her best friend and roommate.

"Yeah, whatever. Just make sure not to starve to death or anything, ok?"

"I won't, I'm not stupid."

"Oh, don't make me answer that, don't temp me." smirked the blonde. "Hey, do you think this purple blouse is ok?"

"It looks fine, but depends with what you combine it with..."

"Figures." she threw the blouse back to the closet and continued searching. "You should go out. There's a cute restaurant not far away from here, I went the other day with Shikamaru and Chouji. They serve really good stuff."

"Hm, maybe I'll call Hinata or Naruto and go." decided Sakura optimistically. "Where are you two going, by the way?"

"I don't know, some art exhibition." mentioned Ino, rolling her eyes. "I swear, Sai's a sweetheart but some of his art is just... bizarre."

Sakura chuckled and approved the comment. Sai's art was beautiful, but some was traumatizing for small children.

**oo00oo00oo00oo00oo**

"Ah, it feels so right to be on this date with Sakura..." sighed Naruto, looking incredibly happy and positive about it.

Sakura punched him for the fourth time in half an hour. That had to be a new record.

"You wish, Naruto! Sakura and I are on a date, our youth flame is burning, it's plain obvious!" replied Lee with enthusiasm.

She started to regret asking those two to have some dinner with her.

But what could she do? With Hinata filled with work and Tenten busy with her wedding plans, the only other true friends she had were Naruto and Lee. Of course, there were Ino's childhood friends, Chouji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara, but they weren't available. Chouji was sick due to food poisoning -which she didn't find odd at all- while Shikamaru simply said he was too tired and it would be a drag to go out just for dinner, so he bluntly rejected her.

And so, here she was. In front of the Baratie restaurant.

Now, Ino hadn't mentioned this place was so nice, and now Sakura was wondering if she could actually afford eating in such a place. It wasn't big or anything, but still it looked elegant and fancy on the outside, and she could only imagine what it must look on the inside. She looked down at her simple red shirt and white skirt and wondered if she would look like a peasant in such a place. At least she had heels. She hoped that would be elegant enough.

She wasn't wrong, inside the place was fancy and elegant. It was crowded, but some tables were empty, so there would be no problem about that... although she had, being the smart woman she was, gotten them reservations beforehand. There were various chandeliers that provided illumination to the place and a soft piano was being played on the small scenario not very far away from the entrance. The pianist was a beautiful woman with blue eyes and dark hair, and she provided the place with the smooth touch it needed to make it just perfect. It was a nice restaurant.

"Welcome to the Baratie." greeted an enormous man with an apron at the entrance. "Do you happen to have reservations?"

"Yes, I'm Sakura Haruno." responded Sakura and the man proceeded to check his list.

"And I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" added the blonde.

"Nobody cares." commented his female friend, much to his disappointment.

"Ah!" the guy seemed to finally spot her name and crossed it out with a blue pen. "Right, Miss Sakura, a lovely new client who reserved a table for three. Please follow me."

The man guided them to their table and left them there. Naruto sat in the middle, Lee sat facing Sakura. He winked at her, but she just looked away, bored, to check out the place. She returned to reality only five minutes later, when a long-nosed waiter with curly black hair materialized before them.

"Hello, I'm Usopp and I'll be your waiter tonight." he introduced himself, giving a menu to each of them. "I'll be over there, so just call me when you're ready to order."

The trio nodded and Usopp walked back towards another waiter. This one caught Sakura's attention, he had green hair, how could he not stand out? Ok, not like she was one to talk, with her oddly pink hair, but still... that was something you don't see everyday.

"Sakura, what are you going to eat?" asked Lee as he scanned his own menu. "Did Ino give you any recommendation?"

"Um, no, not really." she turned her attention towards her own manu and quickly read it. "Hmm, I think I'll have a bisque soup."

"Sounds delicious.! I'll have one too!" decided her friend.

"What about you Na... ramen, right?"

"Yep. How did you know?" questioned Naruto as Lee made a signal to the waiter.

"... female intuition."

**oo00oo00oo00oo00oo**

Fifteen minutes later, Sakura sat staring at the glass of pure water in front of her in the same position. Lee and Naruto were engaged in deep conversation about different fighting styles of which shew only participated as observer, nodding whenever they looked at her and commenting a vague 'yes' or 'no' every now and then.

But that didn't mean she wasn't having a good time. She was used to her friends and she loved them a lot, they had been with her all along and she treasured her friendship greatly. She just wished something interesting would happen, she didn't mind hearing Lee's long explanation about the origins of kung fu but she was starting to lose interest...

"Here's you meal, sorry for the wait." informed Usopp as he arrived balancing three dishes. "Now, who ordered ramen?"

"Me!" yelled the blonde immediately.

"Here you go. Now the sou-"

"You shitty shithead!"

As Usopp deposited Lee's soup before him, the roar made the whole place turn around to observe what had caused it, making Usopp's words die on his throat. The kitchen's door suddenly opened wide and a person was sent flying out of it. Literally.

"Ow, ow, Sanji! It wasn't my fault, I was starving!"

The young boy who had been sent flying had black hair and equally black eyes, wore the same uniform as the rest that identified him as a Baratie waiter and a particular hat made of straw which he proceeded to put back on top of his head. He didn't have much time, though, as the person who had sent him flying continued his attacks, kicking the other waiter as he tried to dodge. Usopp face-palmed, embarrassed. The piano lady chuckled, this all seemed vary amusing.

"Like hell it wasn't! You ate ten minutes ago! Those were for the costumers, you shitty kid!" yelled back the man seemingly named Sanji.

This man was blonde, taller and probably older, maybe around Sakura's age, perhaps a year older. His golden, beautiful hair covered one of his eyes, leaving the right one on plain sight and revealing a curiously curly eyebrow which Sakura found quite amusing. A cigarette could be seen on his mouth, and he was overall very good-looking. But that was beside the point, as he chased his companion with murderous intentions.

"Not again." sighed the waiter with long nose. "Guys, would you please sto-"

Yet Usopp was interrupted once again. The blonde's kick finally made it to the black-haired guy, making him fly several metres and crash into someone else. And of course, it had to be Usopp. And of course, the soup had to slip off his hands.

And guess where it landed?

The pinkette blinked a few times to make sure it had actually happened. Was she really in the middle of the restaurant, with all it's costumers staring at her, completely covered with cream and crustaceans and who knows what else? She suddenly wished the Earth would open and she would fall into a hole, never to be seen again. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Fortunately, that man saw the scene.

Sanji stood up, perplexed, and stared at Sakura. She looked up at him, unsecure, as Naruto and Lee glared daggers at him and the black-haired boy, ready to attack them but still waiting for Sakura to begin the attack, since she probably had more strenght than the two of them combined. Sanji walked towards her with decisive steps and bowed down to take her hand, producing a rose out of nowhere.

"Ah, what a lovely sight! I'm so very sorry for their stupidity, darling angel. Please don't blame them, they were born stupid." stated Sanji, his eyes transformed into hearts.

"Oh... that's ok, don't worry..." she muttered. That was _wrong_, Sakura Haruno was certainly _not_ blushing. She only felt her cheeks red because of the hot soup. Yeah, she should be angry at them. And she was. Or so she thought.

"But still, these guys are stupid, is this how you treat costumers?" commented Lee, and Sakura felt a wave of gratitude towards him because she had ran out of things to say.

"Oi!" exclaimed Usopp. Sanji glared at him, hearts momentarily forgotten, and the waiter hid behind the straw hat.

"Don't just stand there, shitty long nose. Bring her a towel or something! And you, Luffy!" he glared at the black-haired one. "Tell the shitty geezer to make her the best soup he can produce right now!"

Before any more kicking took place, both guys were immediately gone. Sanji turned back towards the pinkette.

"Oh, how very rude of me, I haven't introduced myself! My name is Sanji, my lady." he introduced himself, kissing her right hand. "What's your lovely name?"

Ok, maybe she was blushing a bit. She tried to avoid it. Lee and Naruto couldn't avoid it, and were now planning Sanji's slow and painful death in their heads.

"I'm Sakura. Sakura Haruno." she said, the blush forgotten and her voice normal again. That weird effect had now, thankfully, disappeared.

"What a beautiful name to match such a beautiful lady!" claimed the man. "Oh here, this is for you."

"Thank you." she accepted the rose he was handing her and smelt it. It was a nice smell.

"I must have been graced by the gods today to be able to see you, Miss Sakura! Your beauty is beyond comparison!"

"Well, thank you for that too." she smiled at him and he felt he would melt on the spot.

"Oh, and don't worry about the soup, all you eat is on the house." informed Sanji.

"Really? Thank you so much, Sanji!" her face lit up, but it only made her even more beautiful in Sanji's eyes.

"You louts have to pay, though." he looked at the two men.

"What?" exclaimed Lee.

"Hey, that's not fai! Why doesn't Sakura pay and we do?" yelled Naruto.

"Because Miss Sakura is an amazing goddess of beauty that visits us mortals and grant us her divine beauty for us to observe. You two, on the other hand..."

"Oi! Stop hitting on _my_ Sakura!" yelled Naruto, standing up.

"Excuse me? _Your_ Sakura?" Sanji abandoned Sakura's hand to stand up and glare at Naruto. "Whatever shit do you mean by that?"

"Well, Sakura and I..."

"Naruto, if you keep lying I'm kicking your ass all the way back yo your place." warned Sakura, raising a menacing fist.

"... fine, we're just best friends." admitted Naruto, crossing his arms and sitting down.

"Ah, Miss Sakura, I'm so glad you're not dating such a shitheaded moron." sighed the blonde, ignoring the other blonde's threatening look. "And I love the violent Miss Sakura too! You're so special and dynamic, such perfect and unique combination! But alas, there are obstacles between our love..."

"And I'm the barrier, little eggplant?"

"Damn, the shitty geezer."

And indeed, there he was. Zeff, the owner of the Baratie, an old man with only one leg and a oddly long mustache. He handed Sakura a towel and another plate of soup.

"Sorry for whatever trouble this bunch of morons caused you. Specially this one." he glared at the blonde, who glared right back at him. "Now, go to the kitchen eggplant. We need more people."

"I'm going, I'm going." claimed the man standing up." Well, Miss Sakura, this was a beautiful first meeting. Maybe scheduled by the gods themselves! I hope to see you someday here again, I work here everyday and would love to see your beautiful face sometime!"

If he was going to say anything, nobody would ever know, because Zeff raised his leg as if to kick him and the blonde rushed to the kitchen.

"Robin, keep playing." ordered Zeff before returning to the kitchen.

The piano lady shrugged and started playing again. Seems like the show was over.

**oo00oo00oo00oo00oo**

"What a moron." stated Naruto, arms crossed as the three of them walked back home.

"Yeah, that guy was a complete idiot." agreed Lee.

"I could've defeated him with my eyes closed, you know?"

"Ha, I would've taken him with my hands tied behind my back."

"Yeah right, you were too scared to act bushy brows!"

"That's not true!"

"But well, at least we don't have to come here ever again, right Sakura?"

Both of them turned their attention towards the pinkette. She had been quiet ever since they left the Baratie, and simply stared at the rose on her hands with the smallest hint of a smile on her lips, which she quickly hid. Then, she turned towards them with a full smile.

"Who knows." she chuckled and kept walking, leaving behind two very confused young men.


	2. Chapter II

**Title:** Cherry cigarette

**Author/Artist:** dawnangel14

**Claim:** Sanji x Sakura Haruno

**Theme:** #4 - Rose

**Theme Set:** #4 - Romance

**Rating:** PG

**Warnings:** AU and insults, courtesy of our lovely cook.

**Disclaimer:** One Piece belongs to Oda and Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, but I have... a cup of tea?

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><p>"Miss Haruno?"<p>

The young woman sat up straight and looked up. The whole class had their eyes set on her, including her teacher, Miss Chiyo. The professor was explaining something she hadn't really paid much attention too; that is to say, none at all. The teacher coughed loudly, demanding her student to explain herself.

"Yes, Miss Chiyo?"

"Were you paying any attention?"

"Um... I just got a bit distracted at the last bit... I'm sorry, Miss Chiyo." apologized Sakura, looking down in shame.

"Hmp, why am I not surprised? Lady Tsunade speaks so highly of you and your promising future, but I don't see you standing out as she claims." the old lady sighed and returned to her pages, looking at them for a second before turning towards the blackboard. "As I was saying, the origins of medicine as a science can be traced back to..."

And so, the class continued. History of Medicine wasn't Sakura's favorite subject, even if she loved medicine -hence the reason why she chose it as a career- it had a great amount of history included, and she wasn't exactly history's biggest fan. She had a hard time with it in high school and even now at college she still had a little difficulty with it; even if Chiyo was a very wise and excellent teacher it wasn't her fault the subject was boring, blame the subject!

Sakura hadn't noticed she had been drawing in the white page in which she was supposed to be taking down notes. And, upon closer examination, she discovered it was a rough sketch of the blonde waiter from the restaurant she went to the other day. She quickly turned her page in embarrasment.

A giggle to her right caught her attention. She turned in that direction to find a blonde, thin female student she hadn't ever spoken before. She sat next to her in class, which was her name again? Hm, she couldn't remember. Weird. Either way, she asked what did she find so funny as sweetly as she could. Which was, not sweet at all.

"Oh, I'm sorry" the young woman apologized. "It's just that I was drifting off too. I'm not very into this subject to be honest."

Sakura sighed. She understood perfectly what she meant.

"I know, I have a hard time trying to keep up too." she stated. "I'm sorry, but I can't recall your name..."

"Oh, it's ok. I never properly introduced myself." she whispered as Chiyo continued lecturing the class. "My name is Kaya, pleased to meet you."

"I'm Sakura. Pleased to meet you too."

She gave the blonde a warm smile. It could be nice to have someone to talk with at class. Since she had signed up for this career on her own, she didn't have anyone to spend her time with; she spent it either studying or eating something at the cafeteria. Ino was the only one she knew in the whole university, but since Ino was a year behind her (due to the 'sabbatical year' she took after high school) their schedules didn't match, and they didn't see each other until they got home.

Maybe some company would be good for a change. And with that thought in mind, she asked Kaya where she was from.

**oo00oo00oo00oo00oo**

By the time classes were over that day, Sakura was almost sure she could count Kaya as her friend. Or at least her only friend in the university.

The two left the class as quickly as possible in order to avoid being stomped by the many students who wanted to return home as quickly as humanly possible. It was understandable though, it was monday and people weren't exactly jumping of joy after waking up early. Plus, it was around twelve, so everyone was starting to get a little hungry, and it was best to avoid the cafeteria by now. She could always eat at home or at some place, now that she had no more classes to attend to for the day.

"Oh, and did you get the photocopies for the exam next week?" asked Kaya. "Miss Kurenai said they should be ready for today, but I didn't see them earlier this morning..."

"Hm, perhaps we should head there and find them out." proposed the pinkette. "It's not like I'm in a hurry, there are no more classes for the day."

"Right! And we might as well get rid of this." decided Kaya, and the two of them headed towards the little shop outside the campus, a store where teachers left material for the students to compliment with their notes taken in class. "By the way, Sakura..."

"Yes?"

"I'm glad we can be friends. It's really boring to come to class on my own, without anyone to talk to."

"Yeah, I understand that feeling. I'm also on my own here."

"Really?"

"Yep, and like you, I have no one to talk to. Although there is..."

"Billboard brow!"

Before she reached them, Sakura already knew the most troublesome blonde in the whole world was running towards her. She thought about running faster, but then again Ino was faster than her. And they shared the same roof, so it wasn't like she could run forever. Damned pig.

"Hey, Ino-pig." greeted Sakura without much enthusiasm.

"I knew it was you, that pink hair can probably be seen from a satellite." commented her roommate.

"Yeah, yeah. Very funny." she replied sarcastically. "Oh, this is Kaya, she's in my class. Kaya, this is Ino, my roommate and friend."

"Best friend." she clarified.

"Self-appointed best friend."

"Same thing." she stuck out her tongue at Sakura and gave the other blonde a smile. "Nice to meet you, Kaya."

"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Ino."

"No, no. No 'miss' crap. Simply call me Ino."

"Ok..."

"So, where are you two heading to?"

"We're going to pick up some photocopies at the shop." informed Kaya. "Are you studying medicine too, Ino?"

"You bet I am! And much better than the gigantic forehead over here." taunted Ino.

"Excuse me! Who's in first year and who's in second year, again?"

"Oh look, we're at the store!"

"Yeah, what a coincidence... mind answering my question?"

"I have no idea of which question you're talking about."

"I just ask-"

"Oh look at that line! We'll be here for hours!"

"She's not listening anymore, is she?"

"I don't think so, Sakura..."

The three woman observed the waiting line. The line left the store, and it continued on the street, by about an entire block or so. Sakura felt like fainting... mainly because she was really starting to starve. It hadn't been a good idea to skip breakfast. Which was something she personally blamed on Ino, who had insisted on arriving early due to the exam she had today. For which she didn't study.

She wondered when was Ino going to realize that this wasn't high school anymore.

"Hey, look at that guy over there." pointed out Ino a little bit too loud. "Hotter than hell itself!"

"Ino, keep your voice down." whispered Sakura, anger filling every word.

"Um... that person is in our class." noted Kaya.

"Really? I had never seen him."

"Do you pay attention to the people on the class aside the teacher, billboard brow? So Kaya, who's Mister Sexy?"

"Law Trafalgar. He's in our same year, but I think he'll be in third year in no time. He's a genius."

"Oh, so it's that guy?" Sakura started remembering her tutor, Tsunade Senju, talking about a promising genius boy from her class.

"How about we go talk to him, Sakura?" teased Ino.

"I don't think so... I'm starving, can we go eat something?"

"Oh come on, you can eat later... it's time for you to get back on the game!"

"I said no, Ino." denied Sakura firmly, turning around. "I'm sorry Kaya, but maybe we should return for the photocopies later."

"Oh no, it's ok. I don't feel like making such a long line either."

"Ok. If we're not going to stay here any longer, can we at least go eat somewhere?"

"I thought you weren't hungry, Ino-pig."

"I don't recall saying that. You will be joining us, Kaya." it was more of a statemet than a question.

"Um... sure, I have no plans ahead..."

"I'm sorry, she's that straightforward with everyone."

"It's ok, Sakura."

"Well, let's go! Where do you want to eat?"

"I know a place..." suggested Kaya.

**oo00oo00oo00oo00oo**

"Welcome my lovely new costumers!" cheered the huge man from the entrance. "Table for three, I assume?"

"Yes." confirmed Ino.

"Wonderful, we have a free table for three right now. Please follow me."

And so, they entered the Baratie.

Sakura was beyond perplexed when Kaya made Ino's black convertible park in front of the restaurant she visited a few days ago. Apparently, Kaya's boyfriend worked there and she would be able to get them a decent discount, to what Ino agreed almost immediately. She was a fan of discounts... even if she preferred them on clothing items.

There were a few changes during daylight, though. There weren't that many people as the night she was there with Naruto and Lee, and those who were there weren't dressing as fancy as the other night, more casually... which was lucky because she didn't want to go through the stress of checking her outfit every now and again to see if she stood out much again.

The piano lady wasn't playing during that time, instead she was at the bar at the very end of the room, chatting with a big man with blue, spiky hair, who was on the other side of the bar and wore a hawaiian shirt; seeing that particular employee made her feel better about her casual outfit. He was telling her something which made her lift her eyes from the book that she was reading and chuckle, leaving the book aside for a moment to listen to him.

Lost in thought, she didn't realize they had reached their table and the other two were waiting her to sit down. She quickly sat in between the two and looked down at her menu. And while she was at it, their waiter arrived. For some reason, she held her breath when she heard Kaya's comment.

"Oh Sanji, good to see you."

She slowly lifted her look and placed it on the man in front of their table. She was staring at the man with blonde hair and swirly eyebrow (only the left one was visible) she unconsciously drew earlier that same day.

"Miss Kaya, the pleasure's all mine" returned Sanji with a dazzling smile. "And who might your companions be..."

"Let me introduce you, this is Ino Yamanaka, and Sak-"

"Miss Sakura!" exclaimed Sanji, his eyes immediately fixed on her. "I had hoped you would return, sweet angel!"

Sakura's cheek felt slightly hot as she replied with a tiny smile.

"Yes, here I am."

"And Miss Ino, I must say you look positively stunning! Mellorine~!"

"Thank you, although I already knew that" Ino vainly commented.

"Is Usopp working today?" asked Kaya, looking around.

"Yes, but he's helping on the kitchen today, so I'll be the lucky man who will serve these beautiful ladies!" smiled Sanji, thrilled with the idea.

"We'll look a bit and call you when we're ready" said Kaya.

"Perfect, Miss Kaya, please do call me~!"

As soon as Sanji was out of hearing distance, Ino shot her question on her recently adquired friend.

"Doesn't he know you have a boyfriend?"

"Of course he does, Sanji and Usopp are good friends" explained Kaya. "He's just... like that to every woman."

"Oh, a player?" commented Ino.

"Not really... it's more like he likes to praise a woman's beauty" she chuckled at her own statement. "I know it sounds weird, but that's just how Sanji is."

"I see..."

If Ino planned to comment something else, no one would ever know. Her reply was silenced when the entrance doors were abruptly opened and a slim man came in through them. His clothes were deteriorated and his appearance was itself quite dark; it wasn't surprising that the whole place paused their meals to look at him. The man didn't give any sign of realizing he was being observed, and he simply walked towards an empty table in the middle of the place.

Ten seconds later, Owner Zeff was by his table.

"Give me food" muttered the unknown man. "I don't care what, just something edible... please..."

Zeff casted him a severe look. He obviously didn't like the sound the word 'edible' had on that sentence.

"Do you have money to pay for it?"

"Not now, I'll pay later... food, ple-"

Either he didn't like his tone, his response or he was tired of having that conversation. For at least one of those three reasons, Zeff delivered a direct kick to the man, destroying the table and sending him to crash against the nearest wall. It was only then that Sakura noticed one of Zeff's leg was actually a wooden leg.

If someone in the restaurant hadn't been looking by then, they certainly were looking at the scene now. Ino had tossed her menu aside and observed with excitement, while Kaya's eyes revealed a nervous look, perhaps wondering where Usopp was. Sakura could only keep watching; in her two visits there had been two fights, and she could only wish she didn't end up covered in soup this time.

However, the scene didn't last for much longer. The piano lady had moved so quickly towards the owner that Sakura could've sworn she had sprouted wings. She placed her hand on his shoulder to attempt to calm him down.

"That's quite alright, Mr. Chef" said the brunette calmly. She made a signal towards the man behind the bar. "Franky, could you take Mr..."

"G-Gin" he mumbled weakly, without moving from where he had landed.

"Escort Mr. Gin outside, please" indicated the piano lady.

The man with blue hair used his huge arms to grab Gin with ease and was quickly out of the place through the kitchen, taking the intruder with him. Zeff got rid of the woman's hand and, with an angry look still on his face, headed back to his kitchen. The brunette assured everyone, since the whole restaurant was still watching her, that they shouldn't be worried by the incident and that they should enjoy their meals. She also educately apologized and returned to her original position at the bar.

"Well, so long for the exciting part of the meal" muttered Ino, looking back at her menu.

"Huh? Where's Sakura?"

**oo00oo00oo00oo00oo**

Sakura had left. She was certain she had seen it; as the man named Franky took the undesired guest outside, she had spotted a blonde head darting outside the place. And as she exited the restaurant, she was proven right. Sanji had not only left the restaurant, but had turned and entered a dark alley to its' right. Feeling her curiosity rise, she silently followed him.

The backdoor of the restaurant was closing as Sakura hid behind some trash bins for precaution. She spotted the man called Gin in the ground, who had been thrown out by Franky. He remained with his back against the cold, dirty wall, staring at the blonde man in front of him with the same curious look she had. Which only widened when she realized he had dropped a dish with four riceballs in front of him. Taking his time, as if trying to interpret the situation correctly, Gin slowly moved towards the food and eventually attacked. While he watched him eat, Sanji took a cigarette from his pocket and proceeded to light it, lying against the opposite wall and taking a good, long drag.

He gobbled the riceballs so fast, she doubted he had even chewed them. Sanji produced a glass of water seemingly from nowhere and gave it to him without a word, which he finished in one big drink. He took a long sight after that meal which had been, evidently, his first in a long time. Then, he spoke.

"I really don't have money, it was true. What do you want?"

"To go, and never tell this to anyone. Particularly to the shitty geezer" he explained quickly.

"I won't... but why?"

"You saw how he gets."

"No, I meant... why did you give me food?"

"Because you were starving" replied Sanji, as if it was the most obvious of explanations. "And as a cook, I can't just watch people starve. It's not a pretty thing."

"Still, I owe you one..." mumbled Gin, getting up. "If you're ever around the bad side of this city, say you're friends with Gin from Don Krieg's band. It'll save you some trouble."

"Thanks" the two shook hands and soon Gin was gone through the other end of the alley.

A sudden, violent noise behind him caught his attention. Sakura had tripped over one of the trash bins as she attempted to leave the scene, causing it to fall to the ground and display its' content all over the alley. Sanji froze at her sight; he hadn't realized he had been observed by a lady.

"Ehm, Miss Sakura, you were there..." said Sanji, nervous. "How long, may I ask?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sneak on you" apologized Sakura.

"Oh no, that's ok! You can sneak on me anytime you want to!" replied Sanji.

"I just got curious... you were very nice to that man" responded Sakura sweetly. "That kind of uninterested kindness is quite rare on a man."

"Ah, to receive such praises from such a pretty lady... my heart is filled with happiness..."

She smiled at him, but then silence came. A silence longer than expected, since Sanji was finishing his cigarette and Sakura had suddenly grown inmensly interested in her feet. It didn't end until Sanji threw the remains of his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it.

"Well, I need to get back to work on your food, dear Miss Sakura" he commented. "Don't worry about that trash, I'll clean it up later."

"Oh don't worry, I can do it" she said immediately.

"Nonsense! Such beautiful hands weren't made to pick up shitty trash!" he denied, and she was sure nothing she would've said could've changed his mind. "Well, I'll see you there, my angel!"

And just when he was going to leave, his hand in the knob already, she spoke up.

"Come to the movies with me."

She had spoken so quickly and rushed that her words didn't feel her own. In fact, if she hadn't felt her lips moving or heard her own voice, she could've sworn they were pronounced by someone else, someone who was more straight-forward and direct. When that description came to mind, the sudden image of Ino's floating head came to her. And she quickly started trying to fix what she had said.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I... I didn't... I was only trying to say... that if you like momovies I... I have an extra ticket... they were a gift but... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" Damn, she understood her friend Hinata now.

"I will."

Her eyes went wide, and she suddenly stopped stuttering words.

"What?"

"I would love to go with Miss Sakura to see a movie! If you want me to, of course."

"Y-yes... that would be good" this time, she felt herself notably blush.

"We can talk about all the lovely details later, goddess of beauty. For now, I should finish your lunch."

She suddenly became aware of how hungry she was, and after parting ways with Sanji by agreeing on messaging each other later, she returned to the restaurant through the main entrance, while Sanji did so by the backdoor.

Later that day, when she was returning home, she had another rose given to her by the blonde cook. But, this time, it meant more than the last one, which was a mere gift out of courtesy.

This one standed for the rose's traditional meaning.

* * *

><p>Yay, second chapter finally done! It took me months to get to write this for 2 reasons: one, because I didn't want the whole kicking-out-Gin-and-Sanji-feeding-him thing exactly like in the canon, and two, lack of inspiration. But it's good to have it back at last! I might even do a little dance, I'm back! :D<p>

_...she asked what did she find so funny as sweetly as she could..._

We all know Sakura can be sweet when she wants to, of course, but after beingtalked to like that by Chiyo I doubt she would be in the mood for sweetness so...

_It's nice to meet you too, Miss Ino..._

Remember this is an AU, and it's not set in Japan, so we won't be seeing honorifics (-kun, -san, -sama, etc).

_...talking about a promising genius boy from her class._

Law would _so_ be the genius of any medicine class. He rocks! And it's evident he knws what he's doing, just look at his actions at Marineford.

_...something which made her lift her eyes from the book that she was reading and chuckle..._

I just couldn't help myself. Frobin are so adorable. :)

_...swirly eyebrow (only the left one was visible)_

As you may have guessed by now, everyone's looks looks are based post-timeskip, although their age slightly varies in the case of some Naruto characters. For example, here Sakura is 19/20 when in the canon she's 16 (I think). Same goes for Ino. Just go with it! :D

_...he had dropped a dish with four riceballs..._

Assuming Sanji started cooking this food by the time Gin entered the Baratie, he had little time to prepare something, so I went with something that's easy and fast to make. Onigiris!

So, what did you think about this chapter? Loved it? Hated it? Let me know in your reviews; your opinion matters!

Next time, we'll see Sanji and Sakura's date at the movies! Expectations? Predictions? What do you want to see?

See you in chapter 3!


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